StopUP, FHNW School of Life Sciences

Major progress has been achieved in protecting European freshwaters through advances in and consequent implementation of wastewater treatment. However, urban pollution still poses a threat to the quality of the receiving water bodies. Stormwater overflows from combined systems and surface water runoff cause considerable pollution of the aquatic environment. The pressure on the receiving waters environment from these emissions is expected to get worse through the impacts of climate change.

In StopUP, 11 partners from seven European countries and Tunisia develop approaches and options to halt pollution from urban run-off. This includes modelling of pollution flows through catchments as well as technical interventions such as overflow treatment or sustainable urban drainage systems.

The Swiss case study implemented by FHNW School of Life Sciences aims at quantifying for the first time the pollution load related to combined sewer overflow spills. Modelling shall help identifying the benefits of an integrated management of the sewer-wastewater treatment system (and its optimisation). Eventually, we aspire for recommendations of how to maximise the use of the treatment capacity of already existing wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure - even during storm events – for minimising the pollution discharge.

The work is performed in close collaboration with the AIB, responsible for the wastewater services in the canton Basel-Landschaft.

EU Project Website